Alexandra Popp netted a first-half double before Germany ran out 6-0 winners over Women’s World Cup debutants Morocco in their Group H opener.
Popp, who suffered injury heartbreak when she had to withdraw from the Euro 2022 final after the warmup, got on the end of Kathrin Hendrich’s pinpoint delivery to dispatch a 63rd international goal
The Wolfsburg striker then doubled the lead from Klara Buhl’s 39th-minute corner, and the excellent Buhl made it 3-0 within half a minute of the restart.
Morocco is the first Arab nation to play in a Women’s World Cup and, at 72 in the FIFA rankings, the lowest-ranked team in the competition. Their cause was not helped by Hanane Ait El Haj putting through her own net in the 54th minute.
Yasmin Mrabet, unfortunately, scored another own goal, while substitute Lea Schuller completed the comprehensive victory. Germany made a strong statement in the opening round of games, unlike other tournament favorites who struggled to assert their authority.
Germany vs Morocco final score
| Fulltime | Goal scorers | |
| Germany | 6 | Popp ’11, ’39, Buhl ’46, Ait El Haj (OG) ’54, Mrabet (OG) ’79, Schuller ’90 |
| Morocco | 0 |
Starting lineups:
Germany (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Merle Frohms (GK) — 9-Svenja Huth, 3-Kathrin Hendrich, 23-Sara Doorsoun, 17-Felicitas Rauch — 20-Lina Magull (7-Lea Schuller), 18-Melanie Leupolz (14-Lena Lattwein), 13-Sara Dabritz — 22-Jule Brand, 11-Alexandra Popp (10-Laura Freigang), 19-Klara Buhl (16-Nicole Anyomi)
Morocco (4-4-2 , right to left): 1-Er-Rmichi (GK) — 4-Sarah Kassi, 17-Hanane Ait El Haj, 21-Yasmin Mrabet 2-Zineb Redouani — 19-Sakina Ouzraoui, 6-Elodie Nakkach, 7-Ghizlane Chebbak 11-Fatima Tagnaout — 23-Rosella Ayane, 16-Anissa Lahmari (8-Salma Amani)
sources/BleacherReport
Germany vs Morocco as it happened, highlights, commentary from the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Fulltime: Morocco gets out of that absurd period of stoppage time with no further damage. A proud occasion becomes a chastening experience after halftime. Popp did what she does, wide attackers Brand and Buhl were both magnificent and Morocco defended corners like they were on the waltzers. Germany is emphatically off and running at the 2023 World Cup. Thanks for joining us.
90th minute+5: Schuller has the ball in the net again as Morocco fails to defend a corner adequately again. But the offside flag is up.
90th minute+1: Oh, good grief. The fourth official signals nine minutes of stoppage time. No one needs this, least of all Morocco.
90th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Lea Schuller!!!!
Again Germany cut Morocco apart down the flanks. Er-Rmichi saves Lattwein’s initial attempt from Freigang’s cross but can’t get the ball far enough away from the goal and Schuller can dispatch a simple finish.
86th minute: An enterprising attack from Morocco, there’s been a few of those, ends with substitute Amani scuffing a shot to Frohms from the edge of the box.
83rd minute: Off comes Popp to a standing ovation. No hat-trick but an emphatic marker put down by the star striker, who has moved up to third on Germany’s all-time goalscorers list.
79th minute: GOOOAAAALLLL!!!! Yasmin Mrabet OG!!!
Absolute chaos as the ball is swung into the near post. The hat-trick chasing Popp is in close proximity but Er-Rmichi punches the ball against the back of Mrabet’s head and Redouani is unable to clear amid a scramble of bodies on the line.
78th minute: Brandt chips into the six-yard box via a touch from Er-Rmichi. Kassi makes a vital clearance and it’s a corner.
75th minute: Substitute Anyomi picks up the first booking of the contest for a rash tackle on Redouani. The Morocco defender got her ankle caught there, looked like a nasty one. She seems to be okay.
70th minute: Those changes haven’t upset Germany’s rhythm. They’re popping passes around with a real swagger. So many of the favorites have struggled during the opening round of matches but this is a bit of a statement performance.
65th minute: Triple change for Germany as Anyomi, Schuller, and Lattwein replace Buhl, Magull, and Leupolz.
62nd minute: Oh my word, Ait El Haj almost nets her second own goal of the half. The defender deflected a low Brand cross towards her own net and Er-Rmichi was forced into a reaction save. Calm down, everyone!
59th minute: Buhl gets, in the context of the game, an absolutely wild amount of room to operate down the left. Morocco scrambles her low delivery to safety.
54th minute: GOOOAAAALLL!!!! Ait El Haj (OG)!!!
Oh no, a calamity for Morocco. Buhl’s latest swinging setpiece caused panic once more. The ball is half cleared to Huth, whose cross towards the near post is glanced across her own goal by Nakkach. There at the back post is Ait El Haj, who bundles into her own net. Not often you get a clear assist from a team-mate on an own-goal, I guess. One for the scrapbook!
54th minute: Wonderful skill from Brandt, who skins two defenders. Er-Rmichi is out well and it’s another corner for Buhl to deliver.
53rd minute: Lovely movie from Morocco and a fine finish from Lahmari but the Guingamp forward has strayed offside.
49th minute: Buhl darts onto a clever dummy from Magull, who was in an offside position. She clatters the post and the offside flag goes up, presumably against Magull. That would have been an interesting one if it had gone in. Morocco, for all their good work in the first half, now looks in severe danger of a drubbing.
46th minute: GOOOAAAAALLLL!!! Klara Buhl!!!
Buhl gets the goal her performance has deserved. She started it herself by driving down the left. Again Morocco failed to deal with a quality cross, there was a little bit of pinball after Magull turns the ball against the crossbar and Buhl continues her run to crash home a finish.
46th minute: We’re back underway and, oh dear Morocco…
Halftime: Germany tries one last raid down the Morocco left and why not? It’s been a profitable area for them. The ball comes back to Buhl, whose shot is blocked and Reynalf Pedros’ side gets through to the interval without suffering any further damage.
45th minute+1: We’re into three minutes of added time at the end of the first half.
43rd minute: Eyeing up a first-half hat-trick, Popp lines up a shot from distance but is off target.
41st minute: Lahmari springs Germany’s high line, only to hesitate as Frohms guides her away from the goal and Huth cuts out an attempted pass. The offside flag then goes up but that would have been an interesting one on an automated VAR check.
39th minute: GOOOAAAAALLLL!!!! Alexandra Popp!!!
No doubts about this one. Pure muscular center-forward play from Popp, who gets in between two defenders and contorts herself to connect to divert Buhl’s corner beyond Er-Rmichi. That might have come off her shoulder but they all count. A mountain to climb now for the Lionesses of Atlas.
33rd minute: GOOAAAA….no! Dabritz is offside. That was a lovely finish but Popp’s initial attempt at a through-ball was blocked and once the Lyon midfielder was played in by Leupolz she’d strayed beyond the last defender.
27th minute: Crosses from that right flank, Morocco’s left, continue to cause problems for the North Africans. This one results in Felicitas Rauch having a shot blocked on the edge of the six-yard box by Kassi. Fellow midfielder Nakkach went down when trying to defend that attack but she’ll be okay to continue.
24th minute: Morocco continues trying to ask questions of their illustrious foes. The ball breaks to Chebbak and she absolutely spanks one. Frohms gets in behind the shot but that certainly stayed hit.
18th minute: Morocco has regrouped and it’s important they don’t concede a flurry here. Ayane again tries to get in behind the German defense but strays offside on this occasion.
11th minute: GOOOAAAALLLL!!! Alexandra Popp!!!
Morocco gives the ball straight back to Germany and doesn’t heed the warning from that recent attack. Hendrich gets down the right flank and delivers a wonderful cross. Again Er-Rmichi is nowhere and Popp powers home her 63rd international goal.
11th minute: Big chance for Germany! Er-Rmichi comes for a cross from the right and doesn’t get there. Buhl heads a bouncing ball and it’s cleared out of the goalmouth.
8th minute: Half an opening for Morocco as Kassi goes long and Ayane has one to chase over the top. The Tottenham forward beats Doorsoun for pace but the Germany fullback holds her ground to avert the danger.
4th minute: Buhl whips onto the back post. It flashes past everyone and Er-Rmichi waves it wide having got her angles spot on.
3rd minute: Germany, as you’d expect on the front foot. They have a dangerous free-kick on the left-hand side. Buhl standing over it.
3 mins from kickoff: The players are out, the anthems are done and they’re into the huddle for a few last-minute instructions and motivational nuggets.
10 mins from kickoff: We’re closing in on kickoff in Melbourne but there’s already been some World Cup action today in the Group G blockbuster between Italy and Argentina. Le Azzurre left it late but Cristiana Girelli fired them to victory. Read all about that below.
20 mins from kickoff: Germany boss Marina Voss-Tecklenberg has been speaking pre-match.
40 mins from kickoff: And this is how the Morocco XI looks.
50 mins from kickoff: Here’s the Germany starting lineup. Wolfsburg duo Marina Hegering (heel) and Lena Oberdorf (thigh) are sitting this one out
1 hour to kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Germany vs Morocco at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side was runners-up at Euro 2022 and will be hoping to go one better in Australia and New Zealand.
Germany vs Morocco lineups
Germany is without one the most exciting young midfielders at the tournament in Lena Oberdorf, who is laid low with a thigh complaint. Captain Alexandra Popp is still a lethal finisher even at the age of 32.
Germany (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Merle Frohms (GK) — 9-Svenja Huth, 3-Kathrin Hendrich, 23-Sara Doorsoun, 17-Felicitas Rauch — 20-Lina Magull, 18-Melanie Leupolz, 13-Sara Dabritz — 22-Jule Brand, 11-Alexandra Popp, 19-Klara Buhl
Morocco will look to play with a solid and hard-to-break-down formation in their opening World Cup match against a strong opponent, they will be hoping goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi can have a strong performance between the posts to hold out Popp and the German attack.
Morocco (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1-Er-Rmichi (GK) — 21-Yasmin Mrabet, 17-Hanane Ait El Haj, 2-Zineb — 19-Sakina Ouzraoui, 4-Sarah Kassi, 6-Elodie Nakkach, 11-Fatima Tagnaout — 7-Ghizlane Chebbak, 23-Rosella Ayane, 16-Anissa Lahmari
Germany vs Morocco TV channel, live stream
Germany’s match against Morocco will be shown by broadcasters worldwide on both TVs as well as online and via streaming platforms.
| Country | Television | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Optus Sport | Optus Sport website/app |
| New Zealand | Sky Sports 1, Prime TV | Sky Sport NOW, Stuff World Cup website |
| USA | FS1, NBC Universo (Spanish) | Peacock |
| Canada | TSN, RDS (French) | TSN+, RDS.ca (French) |
| UK | ITV | ITVX |
| Singapore | Singtel | Singtel TV GO, MeWatch |
| Hong Kong | NOW Sports Prime | NOW Sports Prime |
| Malaysia | — | FIFA Plus |
| India | — | — |
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